How to Use willful in a Sentence

willful

adjective

• He has shown a willful disregard for other people's feelings.
• Since when did that stop a willful kid?
  — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
• Her Ma comes across as brash, crass, willful and nasty in all the best ways.
  — Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 14 Dec. 2020
• Most of the non-willful fines were in the hundreds of dollars.
  — oregonlive, 20 Apr. 2022
• These are smart, willful women with minds and careers of their own.
  — Lili Anolik, VanityFair.com, 19 June 2017
• This was two weeks of willful negligence and abuse.
  — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
• Cruz was the fourth of her parents’ eight children and willful from a young age.
  — Rebecca Grant june 24, Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
• He was arrested and charged with torture and willful abuse of a child.
  — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, 14 May 2020
• In fact, his acts went beyond that, to willful degradation.
  — Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
• If the violation can be proved to be knowing or willful the amount is tripled.
  — Peter J Reilly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
• Penalties can apply even if the omission wasn’t willful.
  — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
• So this willful denial of what movies actually are has set in.
  — Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 July 2023
• Where there is a will there is a way, but on some occasions being too willful can cause problems.
  — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 20 Aug. 2020
• And so there's a willful destructiveness as much as there is a very strong creative urge in her.
  — Jessica Wang, EW.com, 10 Jan. 2023
• Both are charged with murder and willful harming of a child, according to jail records.
  — Fox News, 12 Nov. 2021
• Savoy pleaded guilty this week to one count of willful failure to account for and pay over trust fund taxes.
  — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
• In effect, the public was dragged from willful ignorance by the truth.
  — The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2021
• Sure, white people are bland and naive—how about tackling their willful blindness and myopia?
  — Steve Heisler, Chicago Reader, 2 Nov. 2017
• Like most of what Welch says, it’s based on willful ignorance and emotion rather than facts.
  — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
• There needs to be a willful investment in skills engagement.
  — Prashant Darisi, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
• So be aware that the concept of willful endangerment could put you over that limit.
  — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 3 June 2024
• This is the product of willful ignorance.
  — Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
• The greed and willful blindness must be laid at the feet of his investors and financial partners.
  — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2021
• Adella Tom was booked on three counts each of torture and willful cruelty to a child.
  — Gina Martinez, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2022
• One was unruly, willful and disobedient, and the other was calm and easy to be around.
  — Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
• At the top of this list might well be his willful destruction of the Russian Army.
  — Michael Krepon, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2022
• But the willful swirl and the withholding of coherence are too extreme here.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2021
• Leda observes Nina on the beach with her young daughter, who seems willful and moody.
  — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 5 Sep. 2021
• The man was charged with speeding and willful and wanton disregard for safety.
  — cleveland, 25 June 2020
• That officer, whose case has since been dismissed, was charged with two counts of willful cruelty to a child.
  — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026